Introducing Three New PlayStation 3-Exclusive JRPGs

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All due out in 2013 on Sony’s current-gen console.

By Colin Moriarty

NIS – or Nippon Ichi Software – isn’t a household name. But among the masses of JRPG players in the world, especially in the west, NIS represents one of the most prolific conduits by which Japanese games reach American and European shores. Today, IGN is pleased to reveal that NIS will be bringing three PlayStation 3-exclusive Japanese RPGs to North America and Europe in 2013, and we have complete details on each of those games below.

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Disgaea Dimensions 2: A Brighter Darkness

Let’s start with what is perhaps the biggest of the batch, Disgaea Dimensions 2: A Brighter Darkness. Developed internally at Nippon Ichi Software, Disgaea 2 Dimensions launches in about a month in Japan, and will come out in the west this fall. Dimensions 2 is rumored to be a direct sequel to the PlayStation 2 strategy-RPG Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, and supports a similar graphical flair as found in Disgaea 4.

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NIS notes that Disgaea Dimensions 2 is intended to celebrate both the 20th anniversary of the company and the 10th anniversary of its most famous franchise. DLC will be released to keep the game fresh following its launch later this year.

Time and Eternity

Next up is Time and Eternity, known as TokiTowa or Toki to Towa in Japan. Developed by Image Epoch, the studio behind the Luminous Arc franchise, TokiTowa launched in Japan late last year and is set for a Summer, 2013 release in North America and Europe.

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Time and Eternity is notable because it’s the “first HD animation RPG”, meaning that all characters are drawn using cel animation and are therefore not actual 3D models (or sprites). The game takes place in a locale known as Kamza, with a nameless male character about to marry the princess of his kingdom, Toki, as the tale begins. However, Toki has an alter-ego – Towa – and this fact sits at the center of the game’s plot.

The Guided Fate Paradox

Finally, we’ve come to The Guided Fate Paradox, known as KamiPara in Japan. Like Disgaea Dimensions 2, The Guided Fate Paradox was developed internally at NIS, and is set to come to the PlayStation 3 in the Fall of 2013 in the west. The Guided Fate Paradox is described as a rogue-like RPG, music to the ears of gamers looking to spend lots and lots of time with a single game.

Indeed, the Guided Fate Paradox is described as “the spiritual successor” to ZHP, another rogue-like dungeon crawler. As such, expect a load of customization in the game and a slew of randomly-generated dungeons to keep you on your toes.

In the coming months, we’ll go hands-on with the localized versions of all three games, and each game will be reviewed when the time comes as well, right here on IGN.

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Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.